2009 WNBA Draft Held; Angel McCoughtry First Overall Pick

The 2009 WNBA Draft was held on April 9. The nation's best collegiate athletes and some international players found themselves selected by the WNBA's teams.

The first overall pick of the 2009 WNBA Draft was Angel McCoughtry, who played her collegiate basketball at the University of Louisville for the Cardinals. McCoughtry was widely considered to be a high-end WNBA prospect.

McCoughtry put up some big-time numbers for the Cardinals and became one of the Big East's best athletes in the league's history. The 6'1" forward was selected by the Atlanta Dream, and she will attempt to help a developing Dream team improve on last season's record, where they went 4-30.

The second overall pick of the draft was Marissa Coleman, selected out of the University of Maryland. Coleman will play for the Washington Mystics.

Two of the most notable names in women's college basketball were also selected in the first round. These players include Kristi Toliver from the University of Maryland, and Courtney Paris from the University of Oklahoma.ﾠ

Toliver was a standout guard for the Terrapins. The 5'7" player out of Harrisonburg, Virginia was highly regarded as a premier WNBA prospect, and she should be able to contribute immediately for a Chicago Sky team that went 12-22 last season.

Courtney Paris, perhaps the most recognizable player in women's college basketball today, was selected by the Sacramento Monarchs with the seventh overall pick in the 2009 WNBA Draft.

Paris, who guaranteed her school (University of Oklahoma) that she would bring home a National Championship for the team or surrender her entire basketball scholarship, did not complete her task successfully. The scholarship was valued at approximately $64,000.

Despite her promise, the Oklahoma Athletic Director told her that she would not have to pay back her entire scholarship to the school. Paris was one of the most physically imposing players in college basketball, and it should translate well to the WNBA.

Ashley Paris, Courtney Paris' sister and teammate at Oklahoma, was also eligible for selection in the WNBA draft. Ashley Paris was selected with the 22th overall pick by the Los Angeles Sparks. Though not as highly valued by most WNBA scouts, analysts on ESPN considered the pick to be a real steal for the Sparks. She was also rumored to be part of trade discussions, but as of the publication time of this article, a trade has not taken place yet.

Source: http://www.wnba.com/draft2009/draft_board.html